Furniture leg assembly



Sept. 4, 1962 F. J. WALSH ET AL FURNITURE LEG ASSEMBLY Filed June 30, 1960 FIG. 2.

FIG. 4.

F l FRANCIS J. WALSH CHARLES J. MCGRAW INVENTORS. KENDRlCK,SCHRAMMGSTOLZY ATTORNEYS- 3,052,058 FURNITURE LEG ASSEMBLY Francis J. Walsh, San Marino, and Charles J. McGraw,

Los Angeles, Calif., assignors to The Cal-Dak Company, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Filed June 30, 1960, Ser. No. 40,029 10 Claims. (Cl. 45137) This invention relates to a construction at the lower ends or feet of furniture, and more particularly to a cushion insert for the end of a hollow furniture leg.

Although the invention may have a large number of other uses, where cushion inserts of rubber bumpers are employed, the furniture leg assembly of the present invention has been found to have considerable utility when employed in tapered tubular metal scissors-type legs for tray tables sometimes called TV tables. This type of tray table is shown and described in US. Patent No. 2,676,709 except that the tables disclosed in this patent do not have legs which are tapered at their ends. Notwithstanding the noted unusual utility in this particular field, the present invention by no means has any such limit to its scope of application.

The requirements for a rubber bumper or cushion insert for the end of a tubular furniture leg are that it be of a construction to be quickly and easily placed in position; that it have a construction to withstand loads of reasonable proportions; and that it be securely attached to the furniture leg.

Although cushion inserts of the prior art have failed to meet one or more of these requirements, that of the present invention meets them all. In particular, the insert of the present invention includes a hollow member made of a resilient material to enter any hollow body, the member having a hole therethrough. The member is also provided with a plurality of resilient projections fixed to and extending from one end thereof, the projections extending into a space defined by a longitudinal extension of the surface of the hole.

The cushion insert and hollow body assembly may also be considered a novel and unusually useful, although unobvious, combination in that the assembly may include the combination of a hollow body and the insert therein, only generally the unstressed position of the projections on the resilient member falling into a space defined by the longitudinal extension of the surface of the hole of the resilient member when they are unstressed. Stop means are then provided limiting movement of the resilient member into the hollow body to a predetermined distance. A rigid body of a cross section of approximately the same as that of a hole through that of the resilient member is then located therein, the rigid body having a suitable length and cross-sectional size to extend upwardly between and deform the projections against the internal surface of the hollow body to wedge them thereagainst.

In a preferred practice of the invention, a furniture leg assembly may be provided including a hollow tubular furniture leg having a tapered frusto-conical internal and external surface at one end thereof, a rubber-like body having a frusto-conical surface to mate with the frustoconical external surface of said furniture leg, the member having a hole therethrough, the member extending into the end of the leg, the member having a plurality of resilient projections fixed to and extending from one end thereof inside the leg, the projections extending into a space defined by longitudinal extension of the surface of the hole when they are unstressed, the projections being laterally spaced from the upper external edge of the member for providing a shoulder to limit the movement of the member into the space inside the end of the leg, and a m ttcS Patent lice rigid body of a cross section approximately the same as that of the hole located therein, the rigid body having a length and a cross sectional size to extend upwardly between and deform the projections against the tapered surface of the leg to wedge them. thereagainst.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the furniture leg assembly of the invention may be easily and quickly put together in that the rubber-like member may be inserted into the end of the tapered furniture leg, and a short length of wire or rod driven into the hole into the center thereof to wedge the cushion insert in position in the tapered furniture leg. It will also be appreciated that the shoulder construction on the upper surface of the resilient member provides means to support loads of reasonable proportions imposed on the furniture leg. Lastly, it will also be appreciated that the cushion insert of the present invention is maintained securely in the hollow end of the tapered furniture leg. This is true because the shoulder construction on the resilient cushion insert abuts the lower end of the furniture leg, and prevents the cushion insert from traveling further inside the furniture leg, while driving of the rigid body, or wire, or rod into the hole inside the cushion insert spreads the projections thereon apart against the specially tapered internal surface of the furniture leg to prevent the insert from coming outwardly of the leg.

The above described and other advantages of the invention will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection With the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings which are to be regarded merely as illustrative:

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a furniture leg assembly in which the cushion insert therefor is shown in solid lines;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the cushion insert;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the insert with a locking pin shown to wedge projections of the cushion against the internal tapered surface of the furniture leg; and

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an alernative cushion insert which may be employed in accordance with the present invention.

In FIG. 1 the furniture leg assembly is indicated generally at 10, including a cushion insert having a body portion 18 bounded by a frusto-conical surface 11 and flat top and bottom surfaces 13 and 19, respectively. Molded integrally with the body portion 18 of the cushion insert are three sector shaped projections 14 which extend up into the interior of a hollow tubular tapered furniture leg 20. The leg 20 is provided with internal and external frusto-conical surfaces 21 and 12, respectively. The body portion 18 of the cushion insert is provided with a cylindrical bore 15 as shown in both FIGS. 1 and 2. Projections 14 have vertical edges at 16 which project inwardly of a space defined by vertical extension of the surface of bore 15 as shown in FIG. 2. According to an assembly 7 feature of the invention, this condition exists when they are unstressed. However, other features of the invention may be practiced if this condition exists merely when they are held in parallel relation. Projections 14 are also spaced from the external vertical edge 22 of the body portion 18 of the cushion insert to provide a shoulder at 13 to abut the lower end of leg 20.

As shown in FIG. 3 projections 14 are wedged against the internal tapered surface 21 of leg 20 when a pin 17 is driven upwardly into the bore 15 of the body portion 18 of the cushion insert.

An alternative embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 4 including an insert 23 having simply two projections 24 with a body portion 25 located therebelow.

The cushion insert of the present invention may be 3 made of any rubber-like or resilient material. The pin 17 generally may be made of wire or rod of a size equal to or slightly less than the diameter of the bore in the body portion 18 of the cushion insert.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the furniture leg assembly of the present invention may be easily and quickly assembled in that the projections 14 may be spaced a sufficient distance from the edge 22 of body portion 18 to permit their insertion into the end of leg without any difiiculty whatsoever. Pin 17 may then be driven upwardly in the bore 15 to spread projections 14 apart, as shown in FIG. 3. The insert of the present invention is therefore capable of withstanding loads of reasonable proportions in that the shoulder 13 thereon supports the rear end of furniture leg 20. Still further, the shoulder 13 on body portion 18 of the cushion insert of the invention prevents the insert from going farther into the interior of leg 20 while wedging action of pin 17 deforming projections 14 against the specially tapered internal surface 21 of the furniture leg 20 prevents the cushion insert of the invention from coming outwardly of the leg 20. -In this regard, it is to be noted that the tapered character of internal surface 21 of leg 20 in the entire leg assembly combination facilitates this secure locking or wedging action of the insert in position in the leg 20.

Although only two specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, many changes and modifications thereof will, of course, suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. The specific embodiments illustrated and described should, therefore, not be considered as defining the limits of the invention, the true scope thereof being defined only in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A furniture leg assembly comprising: a hollow tubular furniture leg having a tapered frusto-conical internal and external surface at one end thereof; a rubber-like body having a frusto-conical surface to mate with the frusto-conical external surface of said furniture leg, said member having a hole therethrough, said member extending into said one end of said leg, said member having a plurality of resilient projections fixed to and extending from one end thereof inside said leg at said one end thereof, said projections extending into a space defined by longitudinal extension of the surface of said hole when they are maintained in parallel relation; said projections being laterally spaced from the upper external edge of said member for providing a shoulder to limit the movement of said member into the space inside the end of said leg; and a rigid body of a cross section approximately the same as that of said hole located therein, said rigid body having a length and a cross-sectional size to extend up wardly between and deform said projections against the tapered surface of said leg to wedge them thereagainst.

2. A furniture leg assembly comprising: a hollow furniture leg having an internal surface tapered from a larger to the smaller bore toward one end thereof; an elastomeric member having a hole therethrough, said member having a plurality of elastomeric projections fixed to and extending from one end thereof inside said leg at said one end thereof, said projections extending into a space defined by longitudinal extension of the surface of said hole when they are unstressed; said projections being laterally spaced from the upper external edge of said member providing a shoulder limiting movement of said member into the space inside said one end of said leg by abutment thereagainst; and a rigid body of a cross section approximately the same as that of said hole located therein, said rigid body having a length and a crosssectional size to extend upwardly between and deform said projections against the tapered surface of said leg to wedge them thereagainst.

3. A furniture leg assembly comprising: a hollow furniture leg; a resilient cushion positioned at the end of said leg extending from the exterior to the interior thereof,

said cushion having a hole of a uniform cross section along its length extending therethrough from the bottom thereof into the interior of said leg, the portion of said cushion in the interior of said leg being split into a plurality of projections; said projection when unstressed extending into a space defined by the longitudinal extension of the surface of said hole; and a rigid body of a uniform cross section along its length approximately the same as that of said hole, said body being located in said hole, said body having a length and a cross sectional size to extend upwardly between and deform said projections against the internal surface of said leg to wedge them thereagainst.

4. A furniture leg assembly comprising: a hollow furniture leg; a resilient cushion positioned at the end of said leg extending from the exterior to the interior thereof, said cushion having a hole of a uniform cross section along its length extending therethrough from the bottom thereof into the interior of said leg, the portion of said cushion in the interior of said leg being split into a plurality of projections; said projections when unstressed extending into a space defined by the longitudinal extension of the surface of said hole, said projections being laterally spaced from the upper external edge of said cushion providing a shoulder limiting movement of said cushion into the space inside said leg by abutment against the end thereof; and a rigid body of a uniform cross sec- 7 tion along its length approximately the same as that of said hole, said body being located in said hole, said body having a length and a cross sectional size to extend upwardly between and deform said projections against the internal surface of said leg to wedge them thereagainst.

5. A furniture leg comprising: a hollow furniture leg having an internal surface tapered from a larger to a smaller bore thereof; a resilient cushion positioned at the end of said leg extending from the exterior to the interior thereof, said cushion having a hole of a uniform cross section along its length extending therethrough from the bottom thereof into the interior of said leg, the portion of said cushion in the interior of said leg being split into a plurality of projections; said projection when unstressed extending into a space defined by the longitudinal extension of the surface of said hole, said projections being laterally spaced from the upper external edge of said cushion providing a shoulder limiting movement of said cushion into the space inside said leg by abutment against the end thereof; and a rigid body of a uniform cross section along its length approximately the same as that of said hole, said body having a length and a cross sectional size to extend upwai dly between and deform said projections against the internal surface of said leg to wedge them thereagainst.

6. A furniture leg assembly comprising: a hollow furniture leg; a resilient cushion positioned at the end of said leg extending from the exterior to the interior thereof, said cushion having a hole of a uniform cross section along its length extending therethrough from the bottom thereof into the interior of said leg, the portion of said cushion in the interior of said leg being split into a plurality of projections; said projections when unstressed extending into a space defined by the longitudinal extension of the surface of said hole; said projections at the ends thereof connected to the portion of said cushion on the exterior of said leg lying outside a space defined by the longitudinal extension of the surface of said hole, said projections being tapered inwardly toward each other at their other ends, said other ends of said projections thereby lying in said space; and a rigid body of a uniform cross section along its length approximately the same as that of said hole, said body being located in said hole, said body having a length and a cross sectional size to extend upwardly between and deform said projections against the internal surface of said leg to wedge them thereagainst.

7. A furniture leg assembly comprising: a hollow furniture leg; a resilient cushion positioned at the end of said leg extending from the exterior to the interior thereof, said cushion having a hole of a uniform cross section along its length extending therethro-ugh from the bottom thereof into the interior of said leg, the portion of said cushion in the interior of said leg being split into a plurality of projections; said projections when unstressed extending into a space defined by the longitudinal extension of the surface of said hole, said projections being laterally spaced from the upper external edge of said cushion providing a shoulder limiting movement of said cushion into the space inside said leg by abutment against the end thereof, said projections at the ends thereof connected to the portion of said cushion on the exterior of said leg lying outside a space defined by the longitudinal extension of the surface of said hole, said projections heing tapered inwardly toward each other at their other ends, said other ends of said projections thereby lying in said space; and a rigid body of a uniform cross section along its length approximately the same as that of said hole, said body being located in said hole, said body having a length and a cross sectional size to extend up- 'warclly between and deform said projections against the internal surface of said leg to wedge them thereagainst.

8. A furniture leg comprising: a hollow furniture leg having an internal surface tapered from a larger to a smaller bore thereof; a resilient cushion positioned at the end of said leg extending from the exterior to the interior thereof, said cushion having a hole of a uniform cross section along its length extending the-ret-hrough from the bottom thereof into the interior of said leg, the portion of said cushion in the interior of said leg being split into a plurality of projections; said projections when unstressed extending into a space defined by the longitudinal extension of the surface of said hole, said projections being laterally spaced from the upper external edge of said cushion providing a shoulder limiting movement of said cushion into the space inside said leg by abutment against the end thereof, said projections at the ends thereof connected to the portion of said cushion on the exterior of said leg lying outside a space defined by the longitudinal extension of the surface of said hole, said projections being tapered inwardly toward each other at their other ends, said other ends of said projections thereby lying in said space; and a rigid body of a uniform cross section along its length approximately the same as that of said hole, said body having a length and a cross sectional size to extend upwardly between and deform said projections against the internal surface of said leg to wedge them thereagainst.

9. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein the internal surface of said hollow furniture leg is tapered from a larger cross section to a smaller cross section toward the end thereof.

10. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein the internal surface of said hollow furniture leg is tapered from a larger cross section to a smaller cross section toward the end thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 702,190 Ewing June 10, 1902; 1,120,369 Booraem et al. Dec. 8, 1914 1,164,161 Ayers Dec. 14, 1915 1,843,261 Bales Feb. 2, 1932 2,527,603 Wallance Oct. 31, 1950 2,640,618 Hale June 2, 1953 2,687,547 Matter Aug. 31, 1954 

